How Davidson’s demands on same-sex marriage expose the fragility of a Tory deal with the Ian Paisley party

Jun 11, 2017 by Jill

by Brendan Carlin and Martin Beckford, Mail on Sunday:

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson turned up the heat on Theresa May last night over the Prime Minister’s alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.

Ms Davidson – whose 12 new Scottish Tory MPs kept Jeremy Corbyn out of Downing Street – spoke to The Mail on Sunday exclusively over her concerns about the deal, which was close last night.

The controversial alliance is vital to Mrs May’s hopes of getting a working majority in the wake of last week’s calamitous Election result.

But Ms Davidson – now seen as the brightest Tory Party star – pointedly restated her reservations about the deal over the DUP’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

Ms Davidson, who is gay, insisted she had received ‘clear assurances’ from the Prime Minister that any deal would not harm the cause of equal rights and equal marriage, which is not legal in Northern Ireland. She said: ‘I have my differences with the DUP and their views on equal rights.

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